Actuating member for switches



E. G. K. ANDERSON.

ACTUATING MEMBER FOR SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1918- Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

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Specifloatioapf, Letters, Patent.

Application me my ea 191s. "SeflaE- HOAQBLML' H To all wMmet-mayconcem:M

Be it'known that 1,: ERNST Gs A nonn and is pointed out" soN, a-citizenot the United Statesg residentof Chicago; in the county and StateofIllinois,

Improvements in Actuating and I do 'herebyde new and useful Members' tori Switches; clare that the followingis a full, oleargand exact"descriptiom thereof; reference 1 had to the accompanying drawings, andtoference 'marked thereon,

this'specifieation;

the characters of re which time 'part of T his invention relates device"for switches prior) application Letters Patent Serial N April thitd 1:1

In the device ehown -in the actuating member byw is manually: controlled"is so have "a" universally a swingable V mo'v about lts p'ivota ofthe'sw-itch-fla'nd either of which movements from'a' flat seat to anengaging= in part of -the lhe turposeto providea sep one portion ofwhich -sl ides in *reeeive'either one 0 to and adapted to nal elements;o a pendent tuating deviee ntay-i. tion to "operate terminal element isehain, by pulling 1 connection with the switch control.

01- the present invent be; swung m any --the switch; and she saidapplication hich the switch -mounted'= as i to to be axiallydisplacetble, 'istransmitted on the aetuating member late or memberconstitut= arable-actuating i member, 1

- the switch frame and is I 1 two finer-mi fittedfiwith which theadfurnished witha push H be used when the actuating device ie-axially Idisplaced to operate the switellbnd also-to beuse'd when the a etuam theand a in clev States i the frame and need not be furthen described,except to n state that reciprocation of the plunger element 14 acts,

wings and deSCfl'lbd*lm thespecification,

in the appended claims.

In the drawings,- in Figure l is of the shown in Fig. 1.

tially in sectiong showing the actuating ice equipped with a pushterminal.

switch elements 11, 12 respecs ring-actuated, switch 18, t e plungerelement 14 ement -parts illustrated in my prior application through thecontroller memand the rocking switch throwing 13, to alternately'openand close thc 16 ice switch between the elements 'll and 12.

other i! also The "sand actuating device is provided in side theframewvith a fiat seat 19 which engages with son the plunger element-iliin-the same'man 18 designates the actuating is manuallyoperable toactuate'the plunger i iv t fly.cminie ted el eriilent '14 and the partsassociated there- W1t --through an openingfiin the frame lfi, the

diameter It is a tubular structure and extends ning beingat such i sizerelatively to the the latter to swing inall directions and to permit itto* slide axially inwardly;

an opposing flat seat; formed 1 PatcntediAug. 10, 19.20.

a plan view showing the enhave-invented certain eral construetio-nof theswitch and i1 ustrating-one format the actuatingdevice;

Fig.2 is an: enlarged viewypartially in section and partially inelevation, being actuating device Fig. 3 is a similar section showing amodi- -fication.

Fig.4 is a view,-partially in elevation and The base ot'the switch, thefixed and 'stationary tively,'the rocking, throwing device frame inwhich it SllLlQSfllIld the controller member lfi' 'are madelike the sameDIS, .ASSIGNOB\T0 ANDEBSQN tEIbEGTBIC. NOIS, A CQRPOIBA'IION OFILLINOIS.

device which cf the actuating device as to perin m i ui h flwdm b a idw-ipe ner as showman my aforesaid priorappliwith the hand. anon. y k

A fl' 'g'gzigbjegt f th invenbivantiisfltola r Referring more partcularly to Fig. 2, 1t

gh g bl l l madfimy g m t-i-p Wlll be observed that the actuating device1 ing devlee se as thereofi'famd consequently the leverage ex:

erted therelinme' he when operating i as a lever, tetcentrel' t e switch The invention consists in the combine and arrangement "of thepartssshown in be able td vwry the length 1' metal; parts;

preferably sheet by which the contact =10 seat member 19 is attached tothe inner member of the actuating device. The outer member of theactuating device is made of a size to slide into the permanent innermember thereof, and said parts are formed so that the outer member maybe removed from the inner member and the parts may be detachably lockedto ether. The outer, detachable member 0 the actuating device is closedat its outer end by an end wall 24 and is fashioned to receive a pullchain 25 of any suitable form. V

The telescopic members 20 and 21 of the actuating device ma be lockedtogether in any suitable or preferred way, but preferably by means whichpermit of ready detachment of the detachable member. As shown, thelocking of said members together consists in providing one of themembers with one or more beads, and the other member with correspondingannular groove or grooves; and one of the members, preferably the outermember, is formed with means to cause the wall thereof to expandoutwardly so as to force the registering grooves and beads into lockingengagement. As herein shown and preferably, the outer member 21 isprovided with an external head 26 which is adapted to register andinterlock with an internal groove 27 on the inner or permanent member20. The means for causing the wall of the outer member to expandconsists in makin said member of spring metal and longitu inallyslitting it at one or more points 28; the arrangement being such thatthe slitted end of the dc tachable member is compressed in order topermit it to enter the outer end of the permanent member, and theresiliency of the metal forces the wall outwardly to produce theinterlocking efl'ect before mentioned.

In some instances the detachable and per manent members of the actuatingdevice are formed with a number of interlocking beads and grooveslongitudinally spaced therealong. As shown in Fig. 2, the innerpermanent member is formed with a second annular groove 30 to'receivethe bead 26 when the detachable member is forced inwardly to bring saidinterlocking parts into register, and the detachable member is formedwith a second bead 31 to engage with-the groove 27 of the permanentmember 20 when the detachable member is in its innermost position. InFig. 3 the inner permanent memmer 32 and the outer detachable member 33are provided with three of such interlocking grooves 34 and beads 35,respectively.

This construction and arrangement permits the length of the actuatingdevice to be varied and consequently the leverage thereof, when actingas a lever, to be'correspondingly varied. Furthermore, the interlockingconnection provides a more reliable connection between the two parts ofthe actuating device when two or more of the interactlng beads andgrooves are engaged.

n Fig. 4 is shown the form which the actuating device assumes when usedas a push button. As shown in said figure, the inner permanent member 20of the device is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The outerdetachable member 36 in this instance comprises a short tube which isopen at its inner end and is slitted at 37 to enter the inner permanentmember 20. Said detachable member is also provided with a bead 35 toengage with the inner groove 30 ofthe ermanent member. The detachablememor 36 is formed at its outer end to provide a solid disk 39 which isof a diameter to extend radially beyond the telescoped tubular membersof the actuating device when the parts are assembled. When thedetachable member 36 is employed, the switch is operated by pushing theactuating device inwardly in the manner of a push button, althou h saidactuating device may be operated y swinging it on its pivot in the samemanner as when using the pull chain 25.

I claim as m invention:

1 An actuating member for an electrical switch and the like comprising apermanent tubular swingable and axially displaceable member, and aterminal extension member telescopic thereon, with means to lock theextenslon member on the permanent member when extended at definitedistance from the permanent member.

2. Actuating member set forth in claim 1, characterized in that thepermanent member has at its inner end an actuating element enlarged in adirection transverse to the axis of the actuating member.

3. Actuating device set forth in claim 1, characterized that thepermanent member is tubular to receive the terminal extension member,and that the latter member has a part designed to transmit manual powerto the actuating device to actuate the latter.

4. Actuating member set forth in claim, 1, characterized in that boththe permanent and extension members are formed of sheet metal tubularconstruction, and that said members bear longitudinally s acedinteracting locking means to hold t e extension member extended.

5. Actuating member set forth in claims 1 i switch and the likecomprising hollow telesco ic members, with means to lock them in de niteaxial relation, one of said members having at one end an actuatingelement enlarged at right angles to the axis of said member, and theother member having at the opposite end of the actuating member anelement through which manual power is transmitted to said actuatingmember.

In testimony whereof I claim the forego- I0 ing as my invention Ihereunto append my signature at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of May,1918.

ERNST G. K. ANDERSON.

